BARREL AGED SERIES | DOUBLE RELEASE

In the cold, dark, wintery days of January we brewed a base stout which would be  laid to rest for five months in Bourbon barrels to create two new Barrel Aged beers. 

The process to achieve the best tasting Barrel Aged beers is a long, laborious labour of love.
To start the process our new base stout was transferred into Bourbon barrels. Brewing a base stout to put into barrels allows the Bourbon traces in the barrel to delicately infuse. 

We regularly taste the barrels, about once a month, to keep track of taste and assess when we are happy the beer has reached the taste we are aiming for. 

Although both of these beers have come from the same base stout their tastes are opposites, the Yin and Yang of tastes.
Imperial Vanilla Stout has very slight notes of Bourbon and a full, sweet vanilla finish. There is a delicate vanilla aroma which blends beautifully with subtle notes of Bourbon. On first sip the Vanilla is warming, smooth and moreish. Resist the temptation to drink this quickly and let it warm up slightly if you're drinking it straight out of the fridge - with the slight warming you taste a whole plethora of hidden depth and flavour.
The Maple Imperial Stout is sweet and sticky, one to sip and savour. On the nose you really pick up the sticky notes from the syrup Intense flavours of maple are rounded off by its creamy body and malty backbone. This beer really does what it says on the tin and the sweet maple shines through the Bourbon flavour.

Once the beer has reached this point we transfer the beer from barrels back to bright beer tanks ready for a final taste test and then to be packaged.

To fully enjoy the taste of both beers, we'd recommend drinking the Imperial Vanilla first as the Imperial Maple is much more intense.